Tekoa, on the Eastern slopes of the Judean hills, is most often
identified as the modern Khirbet Taqu`a. (See map opposite.)
This region is on the edge of the rain shadow of the higher hills
to the west, and was therefore too dry for reliable cultivation.

From
the hills of Taqu'a Bethlehem (about 8kms north) and Jerusalem
(twice as far again) can just be seen. The main road south along
the ridge is not far off, and a small route leads down to the
Dead Sea near En Gedi (the "Ascent of Ziz").

The descent from the Judean
ridge to the Dead Sea forms a series of broad "steps" (see the
wireframe 3-D map right). Although this area is dry, there is sufficient
vegetation to allow grazing for part of each year. In the winter flocks are
grazed on the lower "terraces" and in summer on the high ground above
Tekoa.

The probability that the sheep
farmers of Tekoa in Amos' day were semi-nomadic removes one of the most
telling objections to this identification of Tekoa. For, while it is true that
Sycamore figs (see Am
7:14) do not grow and fruit in the highlands, they are found lower near
the Dead Sea (see the photo below right, from the shores of the Dead Sea,
Clifford).

Despite the mention of
Tekoa as a "city" built by Rehoboam
for Judah's defense (2 Chron
11:6) there is little evidence that the site was a town, although investigations,
including a brief dig under
the auspices of ASOR
in 1955 show the area was inhabited in this period.

A cave was excavated (a tomb?) where among
other finds were lamps and pots with the shape
and style typical of the pre-exilic, "Iron II" period (1000BCE
- 586BCE).

Pottery from cave at Khirbet Taqua, above and
below right, and lamps also from the cave, left,
note their typical "pinched spout" shape (Clifford).